b. c.1970, Atchafalaya, Louisiana, USA. Richardson taught himself to play guitar from the age of six, listening avidly to the music of his surroundings. As he entered his teenage years, he was playing clubs in rural areas of southern Louisiana, often as a member of his Richardson Brothers Band, rapidly gaining in technical skills and stage presence. Playing guitar and singing are at the core of his skills but he also plays harmonica, fiddle and steel guitar. Leading his own band, the Joe Richardson Express, Richardson has been based for some years in Austin, Texas, where he is prominent on the local blues scene. He has also toured Europe. In addition to playing in his own band, Richardson has also played with Austin band the Big Nasty. Richardson writes much of his own material, and also has written songs used by others, including ‘Hundred Pounds Of Pain’, co-composed with Kent Dykes (of Omar And The Howlers), ‘Killin’ In The Name Of The Lord’ and ‘I’ve Seen The Devil’. Richardson often takes social and political issues as topics for his songs. For example, although he post-dated the Vietnam War he wrote several songs inspired by it, including ‘Never Get Over You’, ‘I’ll Be Going There’ and ‘Medicine Man’. These and others were used on the soundtrack of the documentary film, In The Shadow Of The Blade (2004).